Between Italian-style comedy and psychological thriller, Sotto a chi tocca marks Giorgio Pasotti’s third directorial effort after Io, Arlecchino and Abbi fede, plunging us into a present where confronting the other has become a race to the last move, an exercise in ruthless determination, a playing field where the only rule is to win and the end justifies the means. Written by Pasotti himself together with Federico Baccomo and freely inspired by the theatrical text “El metodo Gronhölm” by Jordi Calceran Ferrer, the film is a claustrophobic tale that unfolds almost entirely in a single room: spacious, sterile, and inhospitable, an environment in which mounting psychological tension, the actors’ performances, the dialogues and the directing stave off any risk of stagnation and monotony, also because the dynamics among the characters reflect a microcosm of our present. The six protagonists of the story are ultimately us, constantly judged and forced to do and give more, even at the cost of dislodging someone who rides close to us, now our ally and now our fiercest enemy.
In Sotto a chi tocca Giorgio Pasotti also chooses to appear on screen, surrounded by capable actors who, like him, can shift easily from one register to another and from one emotion to another, and maintain the right sense of mystery until the unexpected conclusion.
Sotto a chi tocca: the plot and the trailer
Sotto a chi tocca is the story of a job interview that seems to never begin. Fernando, Daniela, Enrico, Carlo, Giulio and Franca are summoned by a multinational corporation. Believing they are about to face a selection process, they discover they have become the subjects of a ruthless experiment in which surviving means destroying the other and silencing one’s own vulnerabilities. Among the group there is a mole, and whoever leaves the room loses, and losing, in a time as odd as ours, is a luxury one can no longer afford, because to be defeated means losing one’s human dignity.
Italian-style Comedy and Commedia dell’Arte
Even though Sotto a chi tocca gives us a bitter view of our society, in which concealing one’s fragilities and pretending to be cruel are categorical imperatives, the film is not devoid of irony. We often smile and sometimes even laugh – at the protagonists and with the protagonists – just as in Mario Monicelli’s cinema, where irony mingled with cynicism. In this sense the characters are masks, which for Pasotti, who has been Arlecchino, means winking at the Commedia dell’Arte, with the difference that Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Stefano Fresi, Giacomo Giorgio and Rocco Papaleo did not improvise from a sketch, but learned a script where everything was carefully set, then worked with the director in a meticulous fashion akin to theatre rehearsals. Giorgio Pasotti was thus a master of ceremonies and an orchestra conductor, calling on actors “who could sit in a double role and spread the theatre text across the timing of cinema.” Some we have always known. With Giovanna Mezzogiorno, for instance, he shared, twenty-five years ago, the set of L’ultimo bacio by Gabriele Muccino. Rocco Papaleo, for his part, willingly stepped out of his comfort zone of quirky comedy and trusted and relied on the director, attentive both to acting and to the technical aspects of a film that nonetheless never puts form before content. Among seasoned performers there is also a young face, made famous by quality Italian television. We are talking about Giacomo Giorgio, namely Ciro Ricci of Mare Fuori, who confronted giants and proved himself up to the task.
Only One Will Be Left
The first article of our Constitution reminds us that work is an inalienable right of man, but today’s society seems to tell us just the opposite, namely that in a room with 20 dogs the bones are only 15, if not 10 or 5. To have one, you must be competitive, high-performing and astute. The Romans said “homo homini lupus” (man is a wolf to man) to denote selfishness, distrust and often cruelty among strangers, and Pasotti seems to share that view. Yet Sotto a chi tocca is even subtler, because the director is interested in emphasizing judgment. The contemporary person is constantly judged, and this is seen primarily in talent shows. There is always someone who must decide if we are suitable for a job, a role, a situation. We are constantly evaluated, and as a result we feel under pressure, and so we display our best side, or what we believe to be our best side, and when another’s success appears a threat to ours, relations between people change. Yet winning is not so simple, because next to cynicism a healthy dose of empathy is required, genuine or feigned. In any case, the film seems to tell us that the motto of our time is certainly not “Unity makes strength,” but “He who acts alone acts for three,” or, within the cinematic realm, “Only one will be left.”
Sotto a chi tocca, in which also star Linda Messerklinger and Claudia Tosoni, arrives in theatres today, Thursday, October 8, distributed by Adler Entertainment. The film is produced by Wonder Film, Wonder Project and Cinefonie with Rai Cinema.
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